Scoring a century in World Cups is a big deal. In 12 editions, there have been 196 centuries, including a few doubles. I did not report on the 1975 and 1979 World Cups. My journey began in 1983. These are the five best three-figure knocks I have seen in the last 10 tournaments.
5 GRAHAM GOOCH
115 vs India, semifinal, Mumbai, 1987
GOOCH WAS a powerful striker who put a huge premium on his wicket. He also had a penchant for scoring big against India. His 752 runs in three Tests against Mohammad Azharuddin's team in 1990, including 333 at Lord's, still evoke unhappy memories.
Most painful, however, is the century in the 1987 World Cup semifinal. India were the favourites, but Gooch's astute understanding and experience of playing in India on previous tours, coupled with how India had played in this World Cup till then, told him that his best chance on a dry surface lay in neutralising the spin threat of Maninder Singh and Ravi Shastri.
In the buildup to the match, Gooch asked for local spinners, especially left-armers, to help England in net practice. Some unknown spinners wheeled away for hours at different lines and lengths, and England's batters, with Gooch leading the way, kept practising the sweep shot.
In the match, Gooch turned this meticulous preparation into precise execution. His century was a marvellous exhibition of skill and tenacity, and ruined India's plans. Maninder Singh got three wickets but at heavy cost; Shastri went wicketless. England amassed 254 for six-a hefty score at the time-and India were bundled out for 219 on a crumbling pitch. Off-spinner Eddie Hemmings claimed four wickets.
Gooch's brilliance took his team into the final, at the Eden Gardens, where they came a cropper against a young Australian team. Ironically, England's collapse started with Mike Gatting playing a reverse sweep!
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة October 08, 2023 من THE WEEK India.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك ? تسجيل الدخول
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة October 08, 2023 من THE WEEK India.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك? تسجيل الدخول
What Will It Take To Clean Up Delhi Air?
IT IS ASKED, year after year, why Delhi’s air remains unbreathable despite several interventions to reduce pollution.
Trump and the crisis of liberalism
Although Donald Trump's election to a non-consecutive second term to the US presidency is not unprecedented—Grover Cleveland had done it in 1893—it is nevertheless a watershed moment.
Men eye the woman's purse
A couple of months ago, I chanced upon a young 20-something man at my gym walking out with a women’s sling bag.
When trees hold hands
A filmmaker explores the human-nature connect through the living root bridges
Ms Gee & Gen Z
The vibrant Anuja Chauhan and her daughter Nayantara on the generational gap in romance writing
Vikram Seth-a suitable man
Our golden boy of literature was the star attraction at the recent Shillong Literary Festival in mysterious Meghalaya.
Superman bites the dust
When my granddaughter Kim was about three, I often took her to play in a nearby park.
OLD MAN AND THE SEA
Meet G. Govinda Menon, the 102-year-old engineer who had a key role in surveying the Vizhinjam coast in the 1940s, assessing its potential for an international port
Managing volatility: smarter equity choices in uncertain markets
THE INDIAN STOCK MARKET has delivered a strong 11 per cent CAGR over the past decade, with positive returns for eight straight years.
Investing in actively managed low-volatility portfolios keeps risks at bay
AFTER A ROARING bull market over the past year, equity markets in the recent months have gone into a correction mode as FIIs go on a selling spree. Volatility has risen and investment returns are hurt.
